Interior Design Masters goes shopping with Alan

One surefire sign of a show’s success is its move from BBC Two to BBC One.

And that’s exactly what has happened to Interior Design Masters after it grew in popularity during last year’s second series.

And according to host Alan Carr, the channel switch can only be a good thing.

“It’s bigger, bolder and more dynamic and I think with the move from BBC Two to BBC One, it’s acquired an added confidence,” he says.

“The challenges in this series are tough from the outset so the designers have to really think on their feet, even from episode one. There is no mucking about, Interior Design Masters this series means business.”

In the first week of the current run, the contestants were challenged to transform five upmarket rental apartments in Manchester, before heading to the Surrey Hills to work on fabulous Wotton House the week after, and then revamping common rooms at Gordano School in Bristol.

With just six designers remaining after last week’s double elimination, the competition is hotting up.

Arriving at Michelle Ogundehin’s Brighton studio, the designers discover their next challenge – they’re heading to the cathedral city of Salisbury to transform three shops.

Working in pairs, the teams attempt to give three retail businesses a new lease of life.

There’s a bridal shop, a homeware shop, and a lingerie shop – but before they’ve even got started, one contestant isn’t happy with the business they’ve been landed with. Arriving in Salisbury, the designers discover a quaint high street full of independent businesses.

Taking on their toughest challenge to date, the contestants have to clear the shop floor of all the stock before even getting started on the designs.

In the bridal shop, they’re casting out the old traditional magnolia and adopting a New York loft vibe with a cool, contemporary black and white theme.

There are Crittall-style window mirrors and a spinning lazy Susan contraption for the brides, while at the homeware shop, the designers are faced with a business that has been in the family for decades.

Rather than pushing them with radical suggestions or adding bright colours, the designers stick to what the owner knows, using different shades of white rather than anything vastly different.

At the lingerie shop, the team throws all the tricks they can think of at their design, with strong colour choices on the walls, a bold wallpaper print in the changing rooms, and a touch of theatre, with two dramatic window displays.

Helping Michelle decide who should stay or go this week is guest judge and queen of shops, Mary Portas.

Known for her no-nonsense approach, Mary is an expert at knowing what makes shoppers hit the high street rather than shop online.

Makeovers complete, Michelle and Mary discover some innovative designs and a few unusual style choices, before the teams return to the design studio to hear the verdict from Alan.

There’s success for one of the teams who has nailed the brief, but for the other two teams, there’s disappointment.

Finally, Michelle tells one designer that their time in the process has come to an end, leaving five to fight another day.

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